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Pond Setlist
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It was an influx from the other side of the world, with Pond, a band from Perth, Australia headlining at First Avenue. But even before that, we had New Zealand’s Fazerdaze opening for a well-sized audience even as the opener started promptly on time.
Fazerdaze Is the brain child of Amelia Murray, who started a decade ago, but took some significant time off from performing. She’s been back in the scene for a couple of years and was excited to be playing in support of her sophomore album, Soft Power, released just last week. Fazerdaze had quite the set up, considering there were only two musicians. Murray and her backing bandmate (introduced simply as, “my friend Dave from New Zealand”) would often both be on vocals and guitars, but would also switch to keyboards (for Dave) or the electronic set up (for Murray). Those programmed backing music and percussion, along with keys, created the dreamy pop sound that Fazerdaze is known for, and Murray’s vocals rode nicely on that. She also provided good orchestration of all of those moving pieces, admirably juggling the programming and multiple instrument changes between and during songs. Murray mentioned this was their first time in Minneapolis and that they were really enjoying their tour with Pond. We got our obligatory “honor to play at the venue made famous by Prince” during an introduction from Dave for the song Purple. A late spot of tuning trouble was handled nicely and it was clear that they were enjoying themselves.
That complicated set up did force the two artists to stay in an arrangement of facing each other and not the audience, which I think limited Murray’s ability to see and react to the audience energy fully. Overall, though, this was a successful and tight 30-minute set that showcased their sound very well.
Pond is known as a psychedelic rock band, but you wouldn’t have known it from the high intensity, straight rock & roll the Aussies started the set with. Front man Nick Allbrook is an energetic performer, always on the move, including a high kick in the first song. The second song, (I’m) Stung, is the title track to their newest album (Stung!) that the tour is supporting. These first two numbers are very radio friendly in both sound and length.
Starting with the third song, Neon River, however, Pond started to slowly ramp up that psych rock sound. Here we got a new lead vocalist for the verses, with Allbrook crashing in for the chorus. This song feels very much like a Led Zepplin styled number and was the harbinger of where things were headed. The dual guitars and keys in the latter part of Sweep Me Off My Feet had that layered and experimental sound, and with increasingly common and extended instrumental solos, the psych rock label was well earned.
It was during the highly enjoyable So Lo that I finally found the comparison for Albrook’s frenetic stage movements: a young Iggy Pop. His lithe appearance, strutting, and repeated dropping to the floor (including doing what he called “the slug”, and ripping his shirt!) were a driver for the audience’s engagement. He also showed off some versatility, playing guitar and at several moments, playing flute solos. When he jumped across the gap from the stage with no real warning, the audience caught him up easily. Allbrook would return to the audience several more times over the remainder of the show, including a well-executed stage dive that carried him well around the venue. As a fellow audience member said: This. Is. A. Show.
Black Lung gave the long guitar instrumental intro prior to the lyrics, which here heavily use distortion in both instruments and vocals. We had switch of roles, as a guitarist/keyboardist switch places with the drummer on Constant Picnic, which sounded much better live than on the album. It is worth noting how good the rest of the band is, from the ability to play multiple instruments, to finding ways to urge the crowd on (wee had some well-timed and theatrical cow bell). It’s also clear how much they like each other. When they came back for a three-song encore, one member took the microphone to let the audience know it was Allbrook’s birthday (happy 37th) and led the audience in a poorly organized “happy birthday” song. In the end, Pond put on a tremendous performance, channeling that psych rock sound into a strong live show. Noting they have an off day to spend in Minneapolis before resuming the tour, Pond truly earned it and will likely finish their American tour in strong style.
Fazerdaze at First Avenue (23 Nov 2024) |
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Pond at First Avenue (23 Nov 2024) |
| thaddeus ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com |
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